The Ridiculously Resilient Ridge and the Future of California Drought

Daniel Swain, PhD ’16, explains the combination of factors that has led to California’s drought, including climate change, rising temperatures, and the “ridiculously resilient ridge”.

Daniel’s research focuses on the ways in which global warming is influencing the likelihood of extreme climate events—including the ongoing California drought. A Bay Area native and long-time weather watcher, he received an Atmospheric Science degree from the University of California, Davis in 2011. Daniel is also an active science communicator—authoring the widely-read California Weather Blog and frequently engaging in conversations with local, national, and international news media regarding climate change and extreme weather.

This Stanford+Connects micro lecture was filmed on location at Stanford University. Stanford+Connects is a program of the Stanford Alumni Association.